Syrians turn to vigilante justice amid regime kidnapping spree

For example, the military intelligence agency was reportedly involved earlier this year in the kidnapping of several men from Sweida.

In response, the victims' relatives installed mobile checkpoints on the highway linking Sweida to Damascus in search of leverage. After capturing four regime officials, negotiations were held with regime officials, which eventually led to the release of all prisoners.

Cross-country reach

However, prisoner swap deals are not limited to involving individuals detained locally. For example, a Sweida armed group kidnapped a military officer from Latakia who served in Sweida to negotiate the release of a young man who had disappeared in Homs.

In other cases, local armed groups have been able to secure the release of their relatives simply by threatening to escalate their activities against regime forces. This was the case in the recent detention of Sheikh Abu Hatem, who was released from his prison in Damascus after armed factions in Sweida threatened to escalate unless he was set free.

Notably, local factions in Dara'a tend to use violence to demonstrate that their threats are serious. In March, armed groups targeted a regime checkpoint with gunfire in the city of Sanamayn, north of Dara'a, in response to the arrest of a local woman in Damascus.

Local notables-turned mediators

Despite differences between Sweida and Dara'a, negotiations in both governorates are usually initiated by local factions, who delegate a mediator to hammer out a swap deal with the respective regime security agency.

The mediators are usually local notables who have contact with current or retired regime officials, or with religious leaders and businessmen allied with Damascus.

The length of these negotiations varies depending on where people are arrested and by which of the regime's security apparatus. Reaching a final deal is quicker if the arrested person is detained locally by the same security branch that is taking part in the negotiations.

Tenuous hold on power

The ability of local armed factions to push back against the regime is a manifestation of the regime's tenuous hold on power. In Sweida, al-Assad has avoided direct confrontations with armed factions because of these groups' strong social and religious ties to local communities.

Targeting them risks turning Sweida's Druze communities against the regime. In contrast, Damascus has occasionally tried to enforce its authority in Dara'a, but strong local resistance and Russia's presence there have prevented any real success.

The persistent state-sponsored violence, continuous violations of agreements, and the absence of an independent judicial system to hold security forces accountable, strongly indicate that the kidnapping of security officials and intimidation attacks against the regime, as a form of self-protection, will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, al-Assad's expanded territorial control – such as it is – may improve the power trajectory of his armed forces, but it will fail to increase the legitimacy of his regime, even in the eyes of those who live in his grip.